Sister Dear by Laura McNeill

Author:Laura McNeill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2016-03-01T05:00:00+00:00

THIRTY

ALLIE

2016

All day at work, Allie thought of nothing but Caroline’s challenge and talking to Ben. She ran everything through her mind several times, planning out what she might say and how she should approach him.

Allie’s distraction caught up with her in the afternoon. At Natalie’s office, she’d knocked over a tray of instruments, dropped a vial of medicine on the floor, and in her haste to clean up the mess, splashed cleaning fluid on the dog’s owner. The man, less than pleased, didn’t hesitate to complain to Dr. Harper immediately.

He wasn’t the first person to express distaste at having Allie in the office. Most of the time there was no basis for the person’s unhappiness, other than personal feelings. Allie was aware that her status as a felon made it difficult for some owners to be comfortable, but she worked hard, kept to herself, and did her job. When someone complained, Natalie excused Allie from the room, wrote a note in the chart for future reference, and made sure to explain the circumstances.

Natalie’s pat answer was that the office needed an experienced tech, she hired who was available, and the state of Georgia approved the work as part of her rehabilitation. Generally, the person who complained didn’t say anything else after that.

Today, however, Allie’s carelessness had cost her. Natalie was a good employer who’d taken a big chance on a convicted felon. Allie needed to worry about doing her job well and making herself useful. Chasing ghosts from the past didn’t have any place in a vet clinic.

Despite telling herself that, Allie couldn’t help but think back to when her life was so different. A pang of regret hit her square in the heart. Ten years earlier, she’d put in a shift with her father at the vet office, go home to Caroline, and spend the evening with Ben, or reading journals like the Lancet and the Harvard Health Journal. It wasn’t exactly normal. No one else she knew was quite that focused.

Of course, Emma had called it “obsessed.” Ben, though, always understood.

Pressing a fist to her lips, Allie swallowed a sob. Why hadn’t Ben fought harder? Why hadn’t he demanded another chance? Why?

Allie closed her eyes and lowered her chin to her chest.

No. It was all her fault. Such a huge mistake—thinking that she knew exactly what Ben needed, what he wanted, and what he could handle. If she had to do it all again, she would have just let him love her.

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